Adaptive Robot Elevation Control for Mixed Floor Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic devices struggle to adapt and respond effectively to unpredictable environmental stimuli, leading to reduced performance and interrupted operations.
Innovation Solution
A robotic device equipped with sensors, processors, and machine-readable media that measure distances, capture images, detect objects, and adjust elevation based on probabilistic predictions to dynamically respond to environmental changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional robotic devices operate with fixed programming and structure, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but adaptability to unpredictable environmental stimuli deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device employs dynamic reconfiguration of its mechanical structure through shape memory alloys that can change form in response to environmental stimuli. The wheel assembly can transform from a standard configuration to accommodate different terrain types, and the robotic device can shift between two-dimensional and three-dimensional configurations based on perceived obstacles or environmental conditions, enabling adaptive response without requiring complex programmable control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic device changes physical parameters of its structure by utilizing shape memory alloys that alter their mechanical properties in response to thermal or environmental stimuli. The wheel radius, wheel width, and overall device geometry can be dynamically adjusted by changing the phase state of the shape memory alloy components, allowing the device to adapt to different cleaning environments and terrain types.
2Productivity
If conventional robotic devices use simple navigation methods, then ease of operation is improved and device complexity is reduced, but productivity and efficiency in complex environments deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device performs self-navigation and self-adjustment by utilizing environmental stimuli to drive its movement and reconfiguration. The shape memory alloy components respond automatically to thermal gradients and environmental conditions, enabling the device to navigate complex terrains and adjust its configuration without external control input, thereby maintaining high productivity while avoiding complex navigation algorithms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional robotic devices maintain fixed structural configuration, then manufacturing precision is improved and device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different terrains deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic device employs dynamic reconfiguration of its mechanical structure through shape memory alloys that can change form in response to environmental stimuli. The wheel assembly can transform from a standard configuration to accommodate different terrain types, and the robotic device can shift between two-dimensional and three-dimensional configurations based on perceived obstacles or environmental conditions, enabling adaptive response without requiring complex programmable control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The shape memory alloy components are pre-configured with specific geometric properties that enable predetermined transformations when activated by environmental stimuli. The wheel assembly is designed with pre-established transformation pathways that allow it to shift between different configurations (e.g., from circular to elliptical, or adjusting radius and width) in response to thermal input, ensuring manufacturing precision is maintained while enabling terrain adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances adaptability and efficiency by enabling the robotic device to navigate and clean various terrains effectively.
Implementation Method 1
measuring distances, with a Light Detector and Ranger (LIDAR) sensor of the robotic device
Implementation Method 2
capturing, with an image sensor of the robotic device, images of the environment
Data Source
AI summary
Some aspects include a method for operating an autonomous robot, including: capturing, with a first sensor disposed on the robot, data of an environment of the robot; generating, with the processor, a map of the environment based on at least the data of the environment; localizing, with the processor, the robot within the environment; capturing, with a second sensor disposed on the robot, data of a floor surface; determining, with the processor, a floor type of areas of the environment based on the data of the floor surface; and determining, with the processor, settings of the robot based on at least the floor type of the floor surface, wherein the settings comprise at least an elevation of each of at least one component of the robot from the floor surface.